Sith Gathering: A fiction of the Old Republic
by Nothing Blade
Summary: A young businessman's son falls in love with a Jedi. Can their relationship survive? Can the Order stop Dark Lord Kaan's Brotherhood of Darkness from gaining the power to wipe out the Republic?
1. Chapter 1

T'san Kessel sat as far from the taps as possible at the bar of the _Unkind Maiden_ cantina in upper Coruscant. He would have preferred to meet at the tapcafé across the street, but apparently Misu was the drinking type. That suited him just fine. He wouldn't touch the stuff, not since his last experience with Tarisian ale; someone had apparently spiked the batch with nearly three kilos of Crude before distributing it to the patrons. But, with a few drinks in her, Misu would be able to lighten up. He loved the girl to death, but she could be such a stiff sometimes. Always talking about her Code, sometimes worrying they'd be caught or that she shouldn't be there. But she always came back. T'san wasn't quite sure why.

Sure, his father was raking in plenty of credits: He'd recently had an entire system named after him. The Kessel System. T'san gagged at the prospect of sharing the name with a worthless solar system such as that.

There had to be _something_ attractive about him, though, if it kept Misu coming back. There had to be something special about him if he could attract the romantic attention of a young Jedi. He was unequivocally surprised when she had first approached him, asking his name. He casually replied that his name was "P'san Kendall….er….R'han Wessel….er…uh…T'san Kessel."

She wore brown robes, the robes of a lonely traveler. The Jedi—though he did not know she was a Jedi at the time—simply giggled, and said that her name was Misu Qorth, and that she believed that it would be in his best interest to invite her for a couple of drinks. He found something subtly forceful about her suggestion, but said nothing. He found himself staring blankly into her vividly emerald eyes for a moment, her tan skin shining in the light of Coruscant's midday sun-reflector schedule. Her black hair was held in a stiff ponytail in the back, with a small amount in a separate, much less noticeable ponytail on the side. Something about the look in her eyes and her slight smile at realizing that her physical appeal had drawn him in more than her charm made him want to see that hair down, flowing wild and freely.

He was snapped out of his trance, however, when the girl made a second attempt at convincing him to ask her out on a date. She waved her hand elaborately in front of his face. "You want to get a few drinks with me."

T'san couldn't help but chuckle. "So, what's a Jedi Padawan doing running around Coruscant unattended? Get so cooped up in the Temple that you're just looking for a night out with a fun guy?"

Misu had been momentarily taken aback. "I…"

"Sorry, but if you're looking for the kind of fun I think you're looking for, you can forget it. I don't drink. Besides, I thought Jedi were supposed to be celibate and abstinent."

"I didn't think that there'd be someone on Coruscant that could resist my influence. My instructors say that I'm the best at Force Manipulation that they've seen in ages."

"Force Manipulation? You know, if you still ARE looking for a date with me, that last bit doesn't help your cause."

Misu was about to respond rudely when she noticed a playful smirk on T'san's face. "You're a sly one. I like that."

"Thank you. It's always nice to receive a compliment. You know what? I've got nothing going on for the next….lifetime. How about we go for those drinks right now?"

Misu smiled, something—probably her Force aura, though T'san had only limited knowledge of such things—seemed to make her glow intensify until he had to struggle not to simply stand and stare blankly at her instead of leading the way to the nearest reputable cantina.

That had been almost eight standard months ago. Misu had decided that she liked him, and they'd been seeing each other in Upper Coruscant since then. They never met in the same place twice in one week, though. Somehow, Misu had been able to keep their relationship a secret even from the wise Masters of the Jedi Temple.

A few times a week, they would meet at a cantina and Misu would order herself a few drinks to loosen up, though T'san would drink nothing. The two would then hit the Pazaak tables, devouring the credits of any unfortunate soul that decided he could turn his luck around. Misu never kept any of her credits, however. She always gave whatever she wasn't using to fund her drinks to T'san. She'd said time and again that she had no use for them. T'san didn't have a use for the credits either; he may not have had a good relationship with his father, but he did have a very good job high up in the not-so-fledgling Kessel Mining Corporation. So, when he was finished, he always donated the bulk of his winnings to the being at the table that'd lost the most. He kept enough, of course, to buy the entire cantina a round, to show his good faith.

Today, however, he was nervous. Misu had contacted him via one of T'san's employees, whom T'san had personally hired for the job of transferring information between the two discretely. She had said that this meeting would be different from the others, and that their relationship would be changed forever by it. He had his suspicions as to what it was, but, as any other half-love crazed teenager in Corsucant, his greatest suspicion—and fear—was that she was breaking up with him.

It was to be expected, though. Sooner or later, the Council would find out, and he'd rather die than interfere with her Jedi training. Not only was he deathly afraid of the Jedi, he respected and admired Misu for her commitment, broken slightly though it may have been by her relationship with him. Personally, though, he didn't understand why Jedi forbade love. After all, the story went that the great Jedi Revan had been turned back to the light side after becoming Darth Revan because of love. But T'san always shrugged that thought off. The Jedi were renowned for their foresight, not their hindsight.

Though, only hindsight would be able to help them against the apparently rising new threat to the Republic: the New Sith Empire. It had been reported that the Sith had risen from their own ashes to threaten the Republic again—a political JACKPOT, in T'san's opinion—and that, led by a former Jedi named Kaan, the New Sith Empire had ceased its constant infighting and become a Brotherhood of Darkness. Absurd as the idea was, T'san held his own opinions on the subject in check. He did not care for the Sith, but he did not hate them. They brought war, and war was good for business. But war also brought the destruction of homes and innocent lives, and T'san could not stand that. The Brotherhood of Darkness had already offered T'san countless credits for control of his small part of his father's mining empire, but he refused. Angered, the Neimoidain emissary sent by the Brotherhood drew a lightsaber, holding it at T'san's throat. Having been personally coached by his father on how to handle such 'aggressive business tactics', he managed to avoid flinching, though he couldn't stop beads of sweat from rolling down his neck. He called to the guard at his door, who had already drawn his gun.

"Rhynar, show this man out, please."

The guard approached the Neimoidian with caution but determination. "With pleasure, sir."

The Neimoidian turned around, redirecting the lightsaber toward the guard. "Stay back. The Brotherhood of Darkness is not finished negotiating with the Kessel boy yet."

T'san had nothing but disdain for the man after that comment. Having been thrust into the business world at the age of 12, he had no trace of identity as a boy, save his appearance, though at 16, that appearance had been quickly fading. His wild, shoulder length blonde hair had been cut back to his head, tamed and combed to the side. His face, once scrawny and pale, developed a slightly darker skin tone, and his protruding cheekbones were soon covered with a more healthy-looking layer of skin. His physique, however, remained the same. He was fairly short for his age, around 1.4 meters, and he did not have his father's muscular build.

Seizing the opportunity while the emissary had his lightsaber pointed in the opposite direction, T'sar pressed a button that his father had installed on the arm of his chair. He had disagreed with his father's initial desire to put a defense system into his office, but now, faced with the lightsaber-wielding man, he saw the reason for it.

As the security system's automated ion and heavy blaster turrets descended from openings in the ceiling, the Nemoidian cautiously allowed his lightsaber to point toward the ground rather than the guard.

"As I previously stated, sir, the Kessel Mining Corporation is not interested in supplying your forces with raw materials at this time. We have taken your offer into consideration, and we understand that you are prepared to offer a large sum of credits, but we believe that if we were to accept a deal with your organization, we would lose our contracts with Republic merchants. I'm afraid that I must ask you to leave."

With his anger displayed obviously, the Neimoidian withdrew his lightsaber and calmly swaggered out of the room. Once he was gone, the door closed, and T'san was left alone with his guard. "Rhynar, I think it's time I retired from this part of the business. I just…don't think I can keep up this professional façade any longer."

"What are you gonna do? Your father'd disown you if you abandoned the company."

"I'll just promote myself to some made-up position where I don't have to do anything, and let one of the lackeys pick up the slack. Dad's a laid-back guy, as long as it looks like I'm still working, he won't give a womp rat's hindquarters what I do."

Rhynar nodded.

"Something up, Rhynar?"

"It's just…that guy….I know he was a Sith."

"I know. It was strange to me, too. I thought the Neimoidians don't take sides."

"I thought that, too. But I guess, the Sith get their recruits anywhere they want."

Rhynar shrugged. "I guess there's no sense bothering ourselves with it. So, what's on the agenda for tonight?"

T'san laughed grimly. "What do you think? Another quiet evening at home…alone. Again."

Rhynar smiled. "You really gotta get yourself a girl, kid."

"I know, but the Twi-lek dancers at the local cantina apparently don't take kindly to random strangers proposing to them."

T'san smiled at the memory. He may have been alone, then, but all-in-all, he'd been happy with his life before and after he met Misu. Looking back up from the bar out the window again, he saw Misu's cloaked figure and waved. Whatever was going to happen today, it was going to happen soon. He just hoped it was going to be a change for the better.


	2. Chapter 2

Misu entered the _Unkind Maiden_ and sat down on the swivel stool next to T'san. As she removed her hood, T'san kissed her softly on the cheek. "Hey, Misu."

She turned to him and smiled. "You're here early, T'san."

"I guess I'm just anxious to hear what you have to say about what's going to happen to us."

"Oh, right. Well," she said, looking around to make sure no one was listening, "I know we've been together for a while now…"

"Did the Jedi Council find out about us?"

Misu let out a giggle. "No, they're still completely oblivious to what's going on with ANY of their Padawans."

"Then, what's the matter?"

"Well, we've been together for a long time…and I think that it's time that we took our relationship to the next level."

"You mean stop keeping it secret?" T'san joked.

"No, T'san. I mean…I love you. I know you love me."

"Misu…"

"I want sex, T'san. Sex with you."

T'san sat silently for a moment. "…Oh."

"What's wrong, T'san? Do you…do you think we're not ready?"

"I didn't say that! I just wasn't expecting it…ever."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean, you're a Jedi."

Misu smiled playfully. "I know I'm a Jedi. But I'm seeing you, aren't I?"

"Well, yeah…but that's different."

"How's it different?"

"Well…it's one thing for a Jedi to be hanging around with someone and kissing them. I mean, in some cultures, kissing is a completely appropriate friendly greeting. But sex?"

"So you don't want it?"

"I didn't say that either…"

Misu began to pout. "Do you want sex with me or not?"

"Yes! I mean…uh…yes….I mean…well, I don't want to sound too eager…"

Misu giggled. "You know, T'san, you're cute when you squirm."

"Wonderful," T'san replied dryly.

"Aw, I'm just kidding around with you, T'san. Sometimes you're so dull."

"So, I'm not exciting enough for a Jedi?"

"I didn't say that."

"Now you're beginning to sound like ME, Misu."

"Oh, shut up, T'san."

"So…you're really interested in…"

"Yeah, I am."

T'san cleared his throat. "Well…Misu…it's a big thing…but if you think we're ready…It may take me a while to arrange a place where we can be alone, and it'd probably be a bigger hurdle to keep THIS out of earshot of the Council."

"Don't worry about that. I'll have it covered. Why can't we just meet in your apartment?"

"I guess we could. I got rid of the serving droid my father sent me a while ago. I was tired of it doing every krinking little thing for me: washing dishes and clothes, making my bed, and even painting the ceiling once a day!"

"Was there a point to that?"

"Oh, sorry. I meant to say that because I got rid of the droid, we wouldn't have to worry about privacy, because I never have visitors anyway."

"So…how about tonight?"

"Um…sure, I guess," T'san said awkwardly.

Misu smiled oddly. "Okay," she said, running a hand through T'san's hair, "I'll leave you to get ready, then. I'll meet you at your apartment in 5 standard hours."

"Get ready?" T'san asked. However, Misu was already out the door.

How did one 'get ready' for sex? T'san pondered that thought as he emerged from the bar. The air in Coruscant was surprisingly fresh for the city-planet being as industrialized as it was. T'san, like a few others, knew that this was due to enormous air filters below the normal levels of the planet, just above the filth ridden Works. He knew because his father had personally supplied the ore necessary to build such a monstrosity. With the constant buzzing of local speeders, coupled with the bustling noises of the billions of natives, merchants, and tourists, no one noticed the low hum that it emitted for over twenty standard years.

While T'san stood staring out into Coruscant's bright, nearly cloudless sky, he noticed a particularly foul odor rapidly approaching him. He heard a creature yell to him in a harsh language. Having been a higher-up in a multi-system mining corporation, T'san could pick Huttese out of a crowd like nobody's business. Disdain washed across his face. Only one Hutt had had the audacity to set foot—er, tail—on Coruscant alone in the past twenty years. Chonda.

Though, like any good 'legitimate businessHutt', Chonda spoke Huttese but understood Basic. Basic was key to getting anywhere in the galaxy when it came to dealing with buyers and sellers of various legal—and illegal—goods. Conversely, T'san had learned Huttese, though he couldn't speak it himself.

"T'san Kessel! I have not seen you for many standard months! What have you to say of your breaking our trade agreement on Sullust?"

T'san scoffed. "Chonda, it's been months since I gave up control of my section of the company to one of my lesser employees. It's him you should be going to. The Overseer position is just a formality that earns me enough money to live on."

"Unfortunately, T'san, Reida is already dead. It seems he had a disagreement with a Neimoidian Sith who saw fit to remove both his head and bowels. It was all very gruesome, I hear."

"Neimoidian Sith?" T'san's heart stopped.

"Yes. I thought it was strange. The Neimoidians normally keep their loyalties to themselves…but I suppose this one thought that he would find his future by Kaan's side. You seem distressed, human. Have you had dealings with the Brotherhood of Darkness in the past?"

"Yes, Chonda. The Brotherhood wants our raw materials to construct a new Sith fleet, I assume. It'd be my guess that they plan to attempt to destroy the Republic…again. I told them we weren't interested."

Chonda the Hutt laughed at that statement. "The Republic may consist of the lowest form of corrupt, inept bantha poo doo, but they have stopped the Sith before, and they will stop them again. You should not have been so quick and eager to refuse the Sith their materials. War is coming; there's a profit to be made."

T'san rolled his eyes and waved dismissively at the Hutt. "Thinking with your pocketbook instead of your heart, as always, Chonda. The company will name its new representative soon, if Reida's dead. And I have a date tonight."

Chonda's voice grew annoyed. "I will believe you this time, T'san, because of our long-standing business relationship. If I find out that you are lying about your position within the company, or that you are responsible for the break in trade, I will personally contract the GenoHaradan to blow you into the next quadrant."

T'san laughed. "The GenoHardan is a myth, Chonda. Keep your idle threats to yourself. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get going. As I said, I have a date tonight."

"You would be surprised to find which myths are true in this galaxy, T'san. Fare well, but remember what happens to those who cross me," Chonda said tentatively.

"Of course, Chonda," T'san said with the elaborate courtesy that the Hutt expected of his business partners. As the Hutt had gained some distance, he also muttered under his breath, "Slimeball."

He hailed an air taxi. To his surprise, the driver was a droid that he knew well. "Hello, Mister Kessel. Fine weather we're having, isn't it?"

T'san smiled. "Hello, T-D127. It's always fine weather we're having. We live on a gigantic slab of permacrete."

"Very true, sir. So, to where are you traveling today?"

"Just back home, Tee Dee."

"Ah. Shall I put it on your tab, then?"

"Nah. I have the credits with me today. The Pazaak tables have been very generous lately."

T-D127's sonic emitters let out a simulated wheezing that passed for a droid's laugh. "I know very well that you do not keep your Pazaak winnings, Mister Kessel."

"Well, then, let's just say I haven't had my drinks today."

"Ah. So, the human Jedi female has decided not to see you anymore. You have my condolences."

T'san chuckled. "You couldn't be more wrong, Tee Dee. But, I'm not going to have this discussion with you. She is a Jedi, and things are better if we….don't have a relationship. Do you understand?"

"Ah, of course, Mister Kessel. Mum's the word, as it were. So, how is your business coming along?"

"I think you know that already, Tee Dee. It wouldn't happen to be a coincidence that you were the air taxi driver that came to pick me up. I know that my father hired you to spy on me."

"You are very perceptive, Mister Kessel. However, my primary function is to make sure that you are taken care of. I was watching your confrontation with the Hutt very closely. I have been instructed by your father to destroy anyone foolish enough to harm you. Your death would prove most inconvenient to his company."

"My father's concern is touching. Well, rest assured, Tee Dee, that I will wait to die until we have reached an appropriate time."

"I assume, to a human, that statement would prove most humorous."

"Well, then, you're perceptive, as well. But, you're holding me up, Tee Dee. I need back to my apartment."

"Meeting the young Jedi?"

"Yes, if you must know."

"I would advise against it. Your father believes that the Jedi are not to be trusted. He believes that the Jedi are out to control your company as the Sith have attempted to take control."

"I'm not in any danger. Just take me home."

"As you wish. The ride will be put on your tab, of course."

"Of course."

"Although, sir, I must implore you to take caution with this Jedi."

"Tee Dee? My father may have bought and programmed you, but I have enough knowledge of mechanics to dismantle you."

"I am programmed with several self defense mechanisms that would cause great injury to you."

"You couldn't kill me, though. But I could kill you. So just take me home and shut up."

"Yes, sir."

It was a long ride back to his apartment, but well worth it. When he got there, Misu was already waiting, leaning seductively with her back against his doorway, her foot up against it as well, and her knee jutting out, showing him enough of her perfect, smooth, umber leg that he almost fell backward off his landing platform to the busy Coruscanti shopping center below his apartment.

He wasn't used to seeing her without her robe. "Hi, Misu," he choked.

Misu smiled. "Hey, T'san."

"You look…really…nice."

Misu casually pushed herself from the doorway and strutted toward T'san. Grasping the back of his neck tightly, she pulled his head in for a long, passionate kiss.

As their heads finally pulled apart, T'san, almost awkwardly, blurted, "Race you inside."


	3. Chapter 3

T'san lay with Misu on his bed, holding her back loosely but possessively to his chest, gently stroking her stomach

T'san lay with Misu on his bed, holding her back loosely but possessively to his chest, gently stroking her stomach. His touch relaxed her, though occasionally his hands would stray northward or southward, causing her to emit small, expecting gasping noises.

"Tease," she joked.

"That was incredible," T'san said elatedly…for the fourth time.

"It was."

"Misu…I'm glad that my first time was with you. You really mean a lot to me."

Misu turned her head awkwardly to face him. "Was that…your first time? I…had no idea. Wow."

T'san didn't know what to say.

"T'san…you're blushing. That's not like you."

T'san shrugged, the redness fading quickly from his cheeks. "Well, I…it's not every day you're complimented by a beautiful Jedi."

Misu smiled.

"What is it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you look like you have something on your mind, Misu. What is it?"

"Well, T'san…I've been thinking about something. I just don't know if now's the time to bring it up."

"Unless it's 'I'm breaking up with you', then shoot."

"Well…I've noticed…something about you. For some reason, I've only noticed it recently, but I think it's what drew me to you in the first place."

"Oh? What's that?"

"You are strong in the Force, T'san. I wouldn't be surprised if you already suspected it. After all, you can sense people's intentions. You can play with people's emotions. You can manipulate."

"You're…kidding me, right?"

"I know it sounds like a joke, T'san, but it's not."

"No. I'm not 'attuned to the Force' or anything like that. I can just read people. That's all. I can read people because I'm a good businessman."

"Wrong, T'san. You're a good businessman because you can read people—with the Force."

T'san sighed, and the two both sat up. "Even if you're right, Misu, what's the point?"

"You could join the Order! We could live in the Temple together and go off on diplomatic missions together!"

T'san's gaze shot acidly into hers. "This was all just some ploy to get me to join the Jedi? What, you think just because I apparently have some Force prowess I'll join the Sith? Are the Jedi so desperate that they're sending young women out now to seduce men to join their ranks under the pretense of sex?"

"T'san," Misu pleaded, "that's not it at all! I'm just saying that being a Jedi would be a great opportunity for you to travel to other planets, to see the galaxy…an opportunity for US to see the galaxy…"

He thought for a moment, and then sighed. "Misu, I see what you're trying to do here. You want me to join the Jedi because you think it'll allow us to spend more time together, but you know that's not true. First of all, they'd never accept me. I'm too old. Secondly, I'd have to give up all of this stuff, which, though I'm not fond of the wealth, I enjoy my privacy."

"Of course they'd accept you, T'san! Master Farfalla already told me that he could convince the Council to accept you."

"Wait. You told a Jedi MASTER about us? Are you insane?"

"No, not about us. About YOU. I only told him that you were strong in the Force and that you might be a good addition to the Order."

T'san sighed. "Misu…I don't know…I don't think it's a good idea for me to join the Order, even if they WOULD let me in. I mean, for one, it would break us up. There would be no way we could be alone together. Do you really want that?"

"T'san, you're overanalyzing the situation! Padawans sneak off all the time. We wouldn't get caught."

"You're not going to let up until I talk to Farfalla and the Council, are you?"

Misu's eyes grew large and glazed over, as if tears were forming. Her mouth contorted into a hideously pathetic frown. "Please? For me?"

T'san thought for a moment. "All right. I'll do it. But don't expect anything special, Misu. I don't really think they'll let me in."

Misu smiled, beaming. "No, you'll get in, you'll see. And we'll have lots of fun together going on diplomatic missions!"

T'san fought the desire to roll his eyes. "Misu…I don't think many of the Jedi missions right now are going to be very…diplomatic."

Misu pouted. "Always the pessimist, aren't you, T'san? Then again, I guess you ARE a BUSINESSMAN."

T'san smoothly slinked behind her, draping his arms over her shoulders, around her neck, and stroked the middle of her chest, right between her breasts. "Oh, come on, don't be so harsh. I can change, really I can," he joked.

Misu shook him off playfully, picking up her robe and pulling it back over herself while T'san also got dressed. "Well, I should hope so! If Lord Hoth and Master Farfalla can't sort you out, NO ONE can!"

T'san chuckled and headed for the door. "Well, I guess we should get this over with, shouldn't we?"

"Not yet."

"Why not?"

She smirked playfully, dangling a pair of pants by one finger. "You forgot these."

T'san walked back over to Misu and snatched the pants from her, quickly pulling them over his legs and zipping them up. "Maybe I was just going to show off a bit to the other ladies out there. You know, show them what they're missing and you're not," he said, smirking embarrassedly but proudly.

Misu got up and kissed him on the cheek, then subtly nudged him back toward the door. "I'm sure you were. And if any of them looked, I'd rip out their eyes."

"Well, at least the last thing that they ever saw would be pleasant!" T'san exclaimed, not missing a beat.

Misu giggled. "You're cute when you're pretending you have an ego outside of business."

T'san grabbed her hand and began to run out the door, dragging her along playfully. He paused as they exited the apartment and tapped a button on his balcony's railing that his father wired to every air taxi in Coruscant that serviced the area. He had to admit that some of his father's impulse buys for him were convenient. "What's a guy gotta do to get a cab around here!?" he joked.

Right on cue, a cab pulled up. T'san's smirk was wiped clean off his face when he saw the driver. "Great. It's Tee-Dee. Well, we better get this over with, Misu."

"Tee-Dee?"

T'san sighed. "The taxi droid my dad 'hired' to 'protect' me."

"To protect you?"

T'san had the distinct feeling that he shouldn't have said anything. "Well, before I….designated my duties to someone else in the company, I…had a few…Sith come in…they wanted a deal with us about some ore we were mining."

"The Sith came to you?"

T'san's voice became reassuring. "I said no, so don't worry. It's not really a big deal, you know, just a normal business disagreement. It'll pass."

"A normal business disagreement? With a Sith? What happened?"

"Well…he said some things, demanded access to our ore, offered a lot of money, but I said no. I don't like the Sith, so they don't get ore. Period. Well, he didn't like that, so he took out his lightsaber and pointed it at me."

"He threatened you with his lightsaber? Then what happened?"

"Well, my bodyguard was going to jump him, but he turned around and pointed the lightsaber at him, too. He didn't hit him, though. I think he thought if he didn't kill the man he'd be more likely to get the ore. Not that it did any good. My dad had a bunch of autoturrets installed into my office, and while he turned around, I flipped the switch, and suddenly he was thinking twice about having the lightsaber out."

"Wow. If your dad does all this stuff to protect you, why do you get so mad at him all the time?"

T'san sighed. "Because the man's always thinking with his wallet. He's like a Hutt. He thinks he can buy every krinking thing in the galaxy if he has enough money, including friendship and his son's appreciation."

"Oh. I don't like that type of person," Misu said as Brandon opened a door to the air taxi for her.

"Neither do I. I'd like you to take us to the Jedi Temple, please, Tee-Dee. And no wisecracks about the lady. I have enough money to have you sent discreetly to Hypori and disassembled."

Annoyed, TD127 let out a noisy, static-ridden sigh. "Of course, sir."

As the taxi zoomed toward the Temple, Misu giggled. "You're gonna LOVE the Jedi Temple, T'san. It's so big! Everyone there is so friendly, too. Not like some of the cantinas we hang out at."

T'san chuckled. "They seem a little friendlier after I've bought everyone a drink."

"I guess so, yeah."


	4. Chapter 4

T'san lay with Misu on his bed, holding her back loosely but possessively to his chest, gently stroking her stomach

T'san stood in front of Farfalla and the Jedi Council, poised as well as the years he spent as a businessman had taught him. Misu stood outside the Council chamber, slightly perturbed that she was not allowed to sit in on the session. Farfalla began the discussion.

"This is the possible recruit I've been telling you about, Masters."

The oldest Master spoke up first. "Farfalla, perhaps you've forgotten. We prefer our members to enter the Jedi lifestyle at a much…younger age. When they're more…"

"Malleable?" T'san suggested casually.

"Well…when they're more open to learning our way of life."

"Same meaning, different word," T'san said, smiling.

The Master shook his head in disapproval. "You insult the Jedi Order?"

T'san frowned. Obviously, Jedi Masters had less of a sense of humor than Chonda after a meal cooked by T'san's serving droids. "No, Master. I just said that open and malleable mean the same thing, in the case we're discussing."

An inquisitive look emerged on the Jedi's face. "How often do you do that?"

"Do what, sir?"

"So you don't know…interesting. Very interesting. T'san, what is it that you've done for a living before coming to us?"

"Well, my dad runs the Kessel Mining Corporation, and I run a division of it here on Coruscant. Well…I used to run it. Now, I have someone doing my job for me so I don't have to deal with business anymore."

"I see."

T'san began to appear confused. "Why do you ask? What do you mean by 'How often do you do that'?"

"Well, you see, T'san, some Jedi can perform a feat in which they use the Force to manipulate a person's mind in order to persuade them of something, be it an idea or a suggestion, or sometimes, in extreme cases, it can almost act as a sort of mind control."

"What are you getting at?"

"T'san," the Master said curiously, "have you had any prior instruction as to the ways of the Force?"

"No, I haven't. All I know about the Force is that it's something the Jedi and the Sith use to do things that normal people can't."

"I see. T'san, I believe that Master Farfalla was right to bring you to me. You have an astounding gift for one your age, considering you have received no training prior to our meeting."

"What?"

"T'san, I could sense your attempt to persuade me to allow you to become a student at our Temple."

"I did that?"

"Yes, you did. You used the Force to try to manipulate my mind. Although this is not an approved behavior for a Jedi, it shows that you possess great potential with the Force."

"I didn't know that I could even do that."

The Master smiled. "That is not surprising. You are a businessman. Most likely, you thought it was simply your charismatic nature that persuaded your associates to see your way. That is possible…but it is very likely that you have used Force Persuade on business partners and customers in the past."

"Well…that would explain how I got such a good deal off Chonda with that ore contract…"

The Master looked around at the other members of the Council as if he were discussing something with them telepathically. The other members nodded, and he turned his gaze back to T'san. "T'san Kessel, the Council has decided that we will accept you into the Jedi way of life, provided that we find you a Master that will accept you as his, her, or its Padawan."

Farfalla turned to T'san, a slight smile on his face. He still stood poised like a planetary ruler. "You have been given a great honor, T'san Kessel. It is almost unheard of that someone your age is received in the Jedi Order. You should not take this matter lightly. You will have much work ahead of you if you are to catch up with other students your age. You may never catch up to them in learning the ways of the Force."

The Council eyed Farfalla with slight disapproval. A Twi-lek Jedi Master corrected Farfalla's error with drawling, difficult Basic. "The concern should not be with catching up, or with being prideful. T'san's primary goal here should be to follow his path through the Force until he is the best Jedi he can be. It is all we ask of him. It is all we ask of any of our pupils."

Farfalla raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. The Twi-lek seemed to notice. "The Council is not accusing you of being prideful, Master Farfalla."

After a long moment of silence, Farfalla spoke, cracking a smile. "The rest of the Order would not agree with the Council on that matter, so I suppose everything is as it always was."

The Council members emitted a slight chuckle. "Yes, well. T'san, you are excused. I believe that Padawan Misu is just outside the door. She will show you around the Temple."

T'san nodded respectfully and stepped out of the room.


End file.
